Trump administration will withhold SNAP benefits to Democratic-controlled states over data

PA pushes to get residents SNAP benefits

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said residents who receive SNAP benefits should start seeing money in their accounts soon. Cuts to the funds have ripple effects on the local economy.

PENNSYLVANIA - The Trump Administration plans to withhold SNAP food aid from recipients living in Democratic-controlled states over requests for data being rejected.

The plan was announced during the president's cabinet meeting after Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the department would be withholding benefits to states because of requests for names and immigration status of aid recipients being denied.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) asked states to report the last five years' worth of data for recipients in the program to the federal government. The department was seeking "all household group member's names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, residential and mailing addresses used or provided, as well as all data records used to determine eligibility or ineligibility."

A Privacy Impact Assessment released by the department shortly thereafter showed that the USDA was also seeking to collect information on SNAP recipients' immigration, citizenship and employment status, as well as several other data sets. 

What they're saying:

Rollins additionally said that cooperation with the Trump administration was necessary to root out fraud within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Money would be blocked from going out starting next week. Targeted states include those that have rebuffed the Trump Administration over the data request, including Pennsylvania.

Rollins additionally said that 29 states agreed to hand over data, who she called "the red states."

"But 21 states, including California, New York and Minnesota — blue states — continue to say no," she said. "So as of next week, we have begun and will begin to stop moving funds into those states until they comply."

Big picture view:

SNAP benefits gained increased attention this year after a government shutdown threatened to pause the country's largest food assistance program. 

Roughly 42 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits to feed their families – that's just over 12% of the country. In Pennsylvania specifically, two million residents rely on the program – about 15% of the state's population. 

Some states, including Pennsylvania, have sued over the administration's request for data on its citizens.